


Acknowledged Brother

by Zahri



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Alys might be lying but nobody chooses to care, Attempts to avert another civil war - or at least delay it, Council of Counts politics, Gen, Gregor needs an heir, Ivan is the most logical candidate for Vorbarran Heir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28058178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zahri/pseuds/Zahri
Summary: The Council of Counts was in agreement: Ivan was Gregor’s legal sibling and heir.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 41





	Acknowledged Brother

Gregor is seven when Aunt Alys moves into the palace and Baby Ivan joins him and Cousin Miles in the nursery.

“We’re here because Ivan’s your little brother,” explains Aunt Alys carefully, as they sit in the courtyard-garden, Armsmen lining the walls as she pours him a cup of weak tea and cuts his jam sandwiches into fingers. Aunt Alys is still wearing black like she has since The War, but the badging and trim on her clothes has changed. There’s now both silver and gold embroidery there.

Gregor looks at Aunt Alys doubtfully. Ivan is his COUSIN. Mama had explained it to him before Aunt Alys had Baby Ivan. Mama and Aunt Alys were cousins, and Aunt Alys was married to Cousin Padma, whose mother had been a Vorbarra Princess. Ivan’s da was Cousin Padma, not his Da, Prince Serg.

“Your cousin Padma was my husband, and that makes Baby Ivan, Ivan Vorpatril. But the Council of Counts had a meeting about something that happened before Ivan was born, and they agreed that Ivan is your Acknowledged Brother and thus Ivan Vorpatril Vorbarra. So I’m going to be living here with you now and looking after you both.”

“What’s an Acknowledged Brother mean?” asks Gregor, sounding out the word carefully. This sounds like another important Emperor thing, not a family thing.

Aunt Alys looks sad. “It means that the Council thinks that you and Ivan should be brothers, and so Ivan had two proper Das. And so he’s going to be your little brother and your heir, until you’re old enough to have children of your own.”

* * *

Years later, during his period of deepest suspicion over the Vorkosigans, Gregor orders Impsec to bring him a genetic survey of Ivan’s parentage.

It sits on his desk for a long time in a plain folder, while Gregor contemplates whether to open it.

**Author's Note:**

> Some day, I will manage to write Vorkosigan fic without it arising out of a meta discussion that I had with Lanna. But today is not that day!


End file.
